Something Permanent
by MaryCamille
Summary: "I want us to build something permanent, Annabeth." Percy proposes in front of the Parthenon. *spoilers for The Mark of Athena*


My first piece of Percy Jackson fanfiction, though I've been a fan for years. Inspired by annabethisterrified's Tumblr post.

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Percy couldn't help his sweaty palms and accelerated heartbeat. Annabeth had already commented on it, saying something about if he was sure he wasn't the son of the _sweat_ god rather than the _sea_ god, and he'd flushed dark red before she'd elbowed him and continued on.

He was twenty-two now, and still hated suits. He'd decided that dress shirts and cardigans weren't nearly as uncomfortable early on, and he only wore a suit when his mother caught him with the steely gaze she'd perfected over time or when his girlfriend threatened him at knife-point - and that was no over-exaggeration. Annabeth wasn't afraid to make a threat when she needed to.

He'd nearly thrown on a pair of jeans while he was dressing for his date with Annabeth, but he'd paused, imagined his mother's voice chastising him in his head, and picked up a pair of slacks.

Percy would have said their surroundings were something out of a storybook, but what he knew about the gods their histories - and _his_ history with them - kept him from using that to describe Athens.

But the girl next to him… Well, Percy was willing to bet his entire savings of gold drachma that no fairytale princess could even compare to Annabeth Chase. Her blonde hair was shining in the light of the setting sun, and at the right angle, it looked as if it might catch fire with the different orange and pink hues that reflected off of it. The loose curls hung down her back elegantly, swishing as she stepped carefully on the pavement. The fingers of her right hand were hooked around the straps of her heels, which she'd discarded after Percy had suggested a walk. He'd offered to hold them for her, but she'd insisted that she could carry her own shoes, and it became one of those moments where he wasn't sure if he was supposed to continue insisting or just leave her be. With Annabeth, he never really knew. Half the time, he'd get it wrong, and she would roll her eyes and ignore him for a few minutes before moving on and acting like nothing had happened. … Until he'd mess up again.

Percy was staring, but he did that often, and Annabeth didn't seem to mind. In all honesty, he didn't realize his eyes had been fixed on her until she turned to look up at him with her startlingly grey eyes. Even then, he wasn't watching where he was walking. Though it probably would've made for a good story - for Annabeth to tell, at least - Percy didn't stumble over his own feet. He'd gotten good at walking and admiring his girlfriend at the same time over the past six years.

"What's wrong?" she asked, grey eyes tinged with concern and worry.

Blinking, Percy realized that he'd been too entranced to process her words. "What?" he asked dumbly.

Annabeth stopped walking and turned to face Percy so that she could look up at him and stare him directly in the eyes. She knew full well how hard it was to lie to her when she faced you straight-on, her eyes fixed on yours. Plus, he knew she could kick his butt. Her fingers adjusted in his, tightening their grip.

"Gods, Percy, you're… You're staring at me like you're never gonna see me again." When Percy furrowed his eyebrows and gave her a concerned look, she shoved him. "Stop it, would you?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Sorry. You just… you look nice."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I look _nice?_"

"No!" he stammered. "No, I mean, you look great. You look, uh, you look beautiful. Y'know, your hair and the dress, it looks… it looks good on you. Not that it hasn't before - it has, it just…" Percy gave up when Annabeth looked as if she was about to burst into hysterical laughter, praying that she wouldn't. But it was true - she did look beautiful in the dark red dress she was wearing, a small golden chain around her neck.

His cheeks felt hot again, and they were probably painted with a dark blush. He tugged her on her hand and resumed walking, pulling her along with him.

"Too bad Poseidon wasn't the god of smooth talk," Annabeth snickered, flipping her hair out of her face.

But she didn't have long to make jokes at Percy's expense, as they'd finally reached their destination. She'd been asking to see it all day, but Percy had continued to delay her, making up excuses about why she couldn't go on her own and why they should wait until later.

The sun was setting, beams of light peeking through the gaps and spaces in between columns and where stone had crumbled away. The Parthenon stood, tall and powerful, casting long shadows across the ground. Though the years had taken their toll on the monument, it still radiated a certain power.

"Percy," Annabeth breathed beside him, frozen in her tracks.

He turned, a small smile on his lips, and observed her again. Her eyes had lit up with amazement and admiration, and he'd never seen her so captivated by - what she'd call - a work of art. And Percy had to admit, the Parthenon was pretty amazing. But this was different than any other building for Annabeth. This was special. This was the temple in the city named for her mother, Athena.

"It took them fifteen years to build this," Annabeth murmured, her eyes still focused on the temple. "And in 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump was ignited inside, and it destroyed the sculptures and the rest of the building."

Percy nodded. He'd heard these stories before from his girlfriend, but he didn't mind her retelling them now.

"It's so beautiful… And it's so perennial." (Percy didn't really know what that word meant, but he played along.) "So strong, even after all of these years… Makes you wonder if anything will ever really be able to bring it down. I wish… I wish I could build something this permanent."

"Here, let me hold those," he gestured to the heels that hung from her fingers. "Why don't you go check it out? I'll give you a minute."

Without protest, she handed her shoes to him and let go of his hand, making her way towards the temple. Percy watched as she reached it, her hands gentle against the damaged columns, as if she thought pressing too hard would cause them to topple over. He stood, smiling gently as she discovered the building. Annabeth spent a while exploring, admiring the infrastructure, tip-toeing around the stone, and inspecting the way it was built and how it stood. She was probably getting ideas, Percy thought.

Finally, he realized that she'd stopped. She was staring at the middle of the open space inside of the tall boundaries of the temple, where the Athena Parthenos would have been standing long before Percy was even an idea. She wasn't moving, just staring, and it wasn't hard to guess where her mind had wandered.

Percy ducked down to set her shoes on the ground before making his way up to her, placing his hands carefully on her waist so that he wouldn't startle her.

"Stop thinking about it," Percy murmured, kissing the top of her head.

It was a long, quiet second before Annabeth seemed to register that he'd spoken. "What?" she asked, turning her head, though her stormy grey eyes were still fixed on the open, empty space.

"Tartarus. It's what you're thinking about, right?"

Percy took her silence as a yes.

"You've gotta stop thinking about it. It's been a long time, Annabeth. We made it out, and we're fine. We're together. That's what matters, right?" He turned her to face him and pushed her hair behind her ear, smiling gently.

Percy was surprised when she stretched up on her toes and kissed him on the lips, but he kissed back.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said.

He nodded. "I love you too, Wise Girl."

Suddenly, Percy was nervous again. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself, but it wasn't very calming, because he forgot to exhale. The breath that escaped was disjointed and huffy, but he managed to pull more oxygen into his lungs. Annabeth looked thoroughly confused, her expression reading very clearly: _Gods, don't throw up on me._

He felt clumsy when he reached into his pocket, but he managed to get his fingers around the small black box he'd tucked away there.

"So…" Percy cleared his throat. "Speaking of… permanent things."

_Gods, get yourself together,_ he thought. _You look like an idiot. _He paused for another long moment, gathering himself, and only continued when he felt like he could breathe again.

"We've been through a lot together," Percy laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't hidden in his pocket. "And I was thinking… why not go through everything else together, too?"

Annabeth's eyebrows knit together. "What are you talking about?" she laughed. "We _are_ together."

Well, that isn't how she'd responded when he'd imagined how this would go. Finally, he decided to make things a bit more obvious. He produced the box from his pocket and got down on one knee, taking her left hand into his. Annabeth didn't cry often, but if he wasn't mistaken, her eyes were filling with tears now.

"I want us to build something permanent, Annabeth. So… Marry me. Marry me, and we can. Together." Percy paused to take a breath. "Will you marry me, Annabeth Chase?"

He opened the box, and a small diamond ring glittered between the black velvet padding.

Annabeth seemed to be having trouble answering. She continued to catch her breath and look away, only to look right back. She opened her mouth, but closed it again. She wiped a tear from her eye.

Percy was amused, but trying to fight the smirk that was threatening to break out across his face. He'd get punched right in the mouth if he laughed at her.

She huffed out a breath and straightened her shoulders. "I'll marry you, Percy Jackson. Now give me that ring and kiss me."

A relieved laugh escaped his lips, and he took the ring from the box, sliding it carefully into place on her ring finger. He tucked the box away in his pocket again. Then he stood and pulled her in for a kiss, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

Annabeth laughed, a wind chime sound, and hoisted herself up so that she could wrap her legs around Percy's waist. She kissed him again, fingers tangling in his messy black hair, and he held her in place easily.

Percy pulled back, his eyes roaming Annabeth's face. He didn't want to forget any detail about how she looked right now. "Are you happy?" he asked, meeting her excited grey eyes - they seemed almost silver now.

"As long as we're together, I am," she replied, kissing him softly.


End file.
